Geography has dealt Europe a mixed hand. Europeans can congratulate themselves on being a relatively safe distance away from whatever tensions may accompany the rise of powers like India, Brazil and particularly China. But Europe is bordered to its south and east by two great regions that give cause for significant concern.
Neither Russia nor the Islamic world is, thus far, adapting well to globalization. The economies of both remain overdependent on oil and gas exports. In the Middle East, this exacerbates the problem of creating jobs for ballooning populations of young adults. Russia, too, faces real demographic difficulties, though in the other direction, as Russia’s population is projected to shrink by as much as 10 percent over the next 15 to 20 years.
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